Details On Elected School Official's Elmhurst Arrest

ELMHURST, IL – A school board member from Lombard who was arrested on New Year's Day on a DUI charge visited two bars and had whiskey bottles in her car, Elmhurst police said.

Diana Stout, 50, a member of the DuPage High School District 88 board, was arrested on charges of DUI and improper lane usage.

Patch obtained the police report through a public records request.

Stout was arrested about 1 a.m. near First Street and Evergreen Avenue in Elmhurst. An officer saw Stout's 2017 Toyota Highlander strike a curb, the report said.

When the officer stopped her, he had to ask for Stout's identification several times before she gave it because she kept getting distracted, police said.

According to the report, she said she had been at Fitz's Pub, 172 N. Addison Ave. With slurred speech, she told the officer she got into an argument with a man who was drunk and had three prior DUI arrests, police said.

The report said that when the officer asked Stout whether the man had a drinking problem, she responded, "Ya think?"

The officer said he noticed Stout's car had fresh sideswipe damage on the driver's side. Stout said she did not think she hit anything, police said.

Asked about striking the curb, Stout told police that she always does that, the report said.

Stout also said she blew a .08 when she used her breathalyzer before taking the wheel, police said. Under state law, it is illegal to drive with a blood-alcohol content of .08 percent or more. In any case, police said they could find no breathalyzer in Stout's car.

The report said officers found three Fireball shooters on the floor behind the driver's seat and a marijuana vape pen on the shelf under the radio.

Asked how much she had to drink, Stout at first said she didn't have much. She then stated she probably wasn't safe to drive that night and that she had a shot or two, police said.

Stout also said she was at a bar in Villa Park that night, the report said.

DuPage District 88 serves nearly 3,800 students. It consists of two schools – Willowbrook High in Villa Park and Addison Trail High in Addison.

For a previous story, Stout, who took office in 2021, declined to comment.